Metallic railway-tie.



PATENTED NOV. 12, 1907.

A. L. MOORHEAD. METALLIC RAILW AY TIE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22. 1901.

UNITED STATES ALBERT L. MOORHEAD, OF TELLURIDE, COLORADO.

METALLIC RAILWAY-TIE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, 1907.

Application filed March 22, 1907. Serial No. 363.8 16.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT L. Mooanmo, a citizen of the United States,residing at Telluride, in the county of San Miguel and State ofColorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in MetallicRailway-Ties, of which the following is a specification reference beinghad therein to the accompa nying drawing.

My invention relates to improvements in metallic: cross ties and railfastenings therefor, and more particularly to those set forth in anapplication filed by me on December 22, 1906 and bearing Serial Number349,030.

The objects of the present invention are to provide the tie with meanswhereby it will be effectively .prevented from slipping or creeping, andat the same time rendered stronger, and to provide the wedge or lockingblocks with means for preventing them from working loose under the jarand vibration of trains passing over the track rails.

The above and other objects are accomplished by the improvedconstruction illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1is a side elevation of my improved cross tie showing track rails securedthereon; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same; Figs. 3 and 4 are detailsectional views taken respectively on the planes indicated by the lines33 and 44 in Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a detail horizontal section taken onthe plane indicated by the line 55 in Fig. 4.

My improved metallic tie 1 is cast in a single piece and has at its endstwo substantially rectangular blocks 2 which are united by a reducedcentral portion 3. The blocks 2 have flat upper surfaces 4 whichterminate at their outer ends in downwardly inclined. surfaces5 formedby'beveling the outer ends of the tie, and at their inner ends by adepression or cavity 6 formed in the top of the central portion of thetie to provide the reduced -connecting portion 3. This cen tralconnecting portion 3 is further reduced by having its opposite sidefaces 7 recessed or of substantially concave form, as clearly shown inFig. 2. The bottom of the portion 3 lies in the plane of the bottom ofthe ends or blocks 2 of the tie, and upon said bottom faces of theseblocks are formed integral, longitudinally extending, depending ribs 8for the purpose of preventing the tie from creeping with the railsorshifting either longitudinally or transversely of the track. The ribs orprojections 8 are preferably straight and extend the full length of theblocks. two or more being provided upon each one, as clearly shown inFig. 3. These ribs have their opposite vertical i'aces beveleddownwardly and inwardly so that said ribs are tapered in cross sectionto permit them to be readily driven into the roadbed and to cause themto more effectively prevent the shifting of the tie.

In the tops of the blocks 2 are formed transversely extending rail seats9 which are of slightly less depth than the height of the track rails10. The latter have their base flanges resting upon the bottom of saidseats and the outer walls 11 of said seats are shaped to snugly fit theouter faces of the base flanges, webs and heads of the rails, as clearlyshown in Figs. 1 and 4. Upon the walls 11 are formed inwardly projectingintegral studs or lugs 12 adapted to enter transverse openings 13 formedin the webs of the meeting ends of the rails, as clearly shown in Figs.4 and 5. The inner walls 14 of the seats 9 are inclined with respect tothe longitudinal axis of the body of the tie and in them are formed,preferably two, transversely extending grooves 15, the inner walls ofwhich have the same inclinations as the walls 14. The track rails areretained in the seats by wedge blocks 16, the outer faces 17 of whichare shaped to fit the inner faces of the base flanges, webs and heads ofthe track rails and the bottoms of which rest upon the bottoms of theseats 9, as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The inner walls 18 of the blocks 16have the same bevel or inclination as the walls 14 of the seats 9 whichwalls they are adapted to engage, and upon them are formedlongitudinally extending and laterally projecting ribs or tongues 20which are adapted to enter the grooves 15 and which have their outerwalls beveled as clearly shown in Fig. 5. The blocks 16 are driventransversely or laterally into the seats 9 between the track rails andthe inner walls 1 1 and they are adapted to be locked in position afterbeing driven in to the desired extent, by bolts, pins, or the like 21,passed vertically through alining apertures 22 which are arranged inlongitudinal series in the tongues or ribs 20. As shown, the lockingelements 21 are in the form of bolts which have their flat heads 23engaged with the side faces of the blocks 2 and their lower ends, whichproject beyond the lowermost tongue or rib 20, apertured to receivesplit pins or the like 24, which will prevent them from being casuallydisplaced from the apertures 22. It will be observed that these lockingpins will effectively retain the wedge blocks in their seats and at thesame time permit of their ready removal for the purpose of repairing orreplacing the track rails. It will be further observed that theprovision of a plurality of the apertures 22 permits the wedge blocks tobe locked at any point so that the track rails will be held rigidly inthe tie. In the tops of the blocks 16 are formed longitudinallyextending grooves 25 which are arranged close to and beneath the innersides of the heads of the track rails and are adapted to receive theflanges upon the wheels of cars or the like passing over the rails.

From the foregoing it will be observed that a tie constructed as abovedescribed will be exceedingly strong and durable and will provide asubstantial support for the track rails. The provision of the blocks 2and the seating of the rails in them so that the rails are almostentirely surrounded by the tie and the locking blocks, causes the railsto be effectively retained and rigidly held. The provision of thedepending ribs 8 upon the bottoms of the blocks 2 effectively preventsthe tie from slipping or creeping either longitudinally with the railsor transversely of the track. The locking pins 21 perunit the wedgeblocks to be securely retained at any desired adjustment so that saidblocks may be tightened from time to time to cause the rails to berigidly held and so that the blocks may be properly adjusted upon newrails that are replaced for old ,worn out ones.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

l. A metallic railway tie comprising a cast metal body having large andblocks united by a reduced connecting portion, said end blocks havingseats in their upper faces for the reception of track rails and upontheir lower or bottom faces longitudinally extending depending ribs toprevent them from slipping or creeping.

2. A metallic railway tie comprising a body cast in one piece and havinglarge end blocks of substantially rectangular form united by an integralreduced connecting por tion having a recessed top and recessed verticalsides, said end blocks having fiat vertical side faces and flathorizontally disposed top faces with downwardly and outwardly beveledouter ends, said end blocks being also formed in their' flat top faceswith transversely extending rail seats, said end blocks having flatbottom faces disposed in the plane of the bottom face of the reducedconnecting portion of the tie and longitudinally extending downwardlytapered ribs formed integral with said end blocks upon their flat bottomfaces, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of a metallic railway tie having adjacent to its endstransverse rail seats of slightly less depth than the height of thetrack rails, the outer walls of said seats being shaped to fit the outerfaces of the heads, webs and base flanges of the rails, the inner wallsof said seats being inclined transversely of the tie and having grooves,the inner walls of which are also inclined, track rails arranged in saidseats and engaged with their outer walls, wedge blocks in said seats andhaving their outer faces shaped to fit the bottom of the head and theinner faces of the webs and base flanges of the rails, the inner facesof said blocks being inclined and formed with longitudinally extendingtongues to enter said grooves in the inner walls of said seats, saidtongues being formed at the small end of the blocks with a longitudinalseries of vertically alining apertures and said blocks being formed intheir top faces with longitudinally extending grooves or channels toreceive the flanges of car wheels and locking pins passed verticallythrough said apertures in the tongues and formed with heads to engagethe side faces of the tie, substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination with a metallic railway tie having blocks havinglongitudinally extending depending. ribs upon their bottom faces andtransversely extending rail seats in their top faces, said rail seatsbeing of slightly less depth than the height of the track rails andhaving their outer walls shaped to engage the outer faces of the trackrails, the inner faces of said walls being inclined and formed withtransverse grooves, track rails arranged in said seats and engaged withtheir outer walls, wedge blocks arranged in said seats and having theirouter faces shaped to engage the inner faces of the track rails, saidblocks having grooves in their tops to receive the flanges of carwheels, said blocks also having their inner faces inclined and formedwith longitudinally extending tongues to enter the grooves in the innerwalls of said seats, said tongues being formed with a longitudinalseries of apertures adjacent to the small ends of said wedge blocks, andlocking pins passed through said apertures and engaged with one of theside faces of the tie, substantially as shown and described. V

5. The combination of a metallic railway tie having upon its topadjacent to its ends transverse rail seats formed with outer walls toengage the outer faces of track.

rails and with inner walls inclined transversely of the tie and providedwith grooves, track rails in said seats and having their outer facesengaged with the outer walls of said seats, metallic wedge blocks driveninto said seats and having outer faces to engage the inner faces of thetrack rails, the inner faces of said blocks being formed with tongues toenter said grooves, said tongues having at their small ends alongitudinal series of verticalapen tures andlocking pins passed throughsaid apertures in the tongues and engaged with the side faces of the tieto adjustably retain said blocks in said seats, substantially as shownand described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

ALBERT L. MOORHEAD.

Witnesses I E. E. BROWN, B. L. GEARING.

